Spacer fastener



Nov. 12, 1963 J. E. ADAMS SPACER FASTENER Filed Jan. 2, 1962 INVENTOR.JAMES E. ADAMS @MZJ. QM

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,116,373 SPACER FASTENER James E. Adams,Cnrtice, Ohio, assignor to The Bishop and Babcock Corporation,Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Jan. 2, 1962, Ser. N163,468 2 Claims. (Cl. 189-36) This invention relates to fasteners butmore particularly to sheet metal fasteners for securing a plurality ofpanels in spaced relation without requiring the use of screws or similardevices thereby enabling the panels to be secured together as anassembly in an exceedingly simple manner.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appearand, for purposes of illustration but not of limitation, an embodimentof the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE1 is a composite view partly in section and partly in perspectiveshowing a plurality of panels and fasteners for securing same in spacedrelation;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view showing a series of panels securedtogether in spaced relation by the fasteners according to thisinvention;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the fasteners;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the fastener employed for the outermostpanel; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a fastenerarrangement for securing a plurality of panels in spaced relation and,as shown, there are a plurality of panels A, B, C and D spacedvertically from each other. In the lowermost of the series of panels orin the panel A, a pair of parallel lances is made and the metaltherebetween is pressed outwardly to form an outward protrusionindicated at 10. The protrusion It} has a fiat top wall 11 anddownwardly and outwardly extending end walls 12. This provides anopening between the fiat top wall 11 and the adjacent surface of thepanel A to receive a portion of the fastener as will hereinafter appear.

The fasteners for securing the several panels together are of identicalconstruction and each is made of spring sheet metal and is generally ofU-shape. As shown, each fastener has a flat vertical body portion 13which has at each end a pair of parallel relatively short inwardlyextending flanges 14. Integral with the bottom flange 14 and extendinglaterally therefrom is a centrally disposed relatively narrow arm 15which is formed with an upwardly pressed portion 16 having a flat topwall 16a and outwardly and downwardly inclined end walls 16b. The finger15 terminates at an upwardly inclined end lip 17.

Integral wth the upper flange 14 of the fastener is a centrally disposedrelatively narrow arm 18 and formed therein is an upwardly pressedportion somewhat higher than the upwardly pressed portion '18 on thelower arm 15. The upwardly pressed portion 18 has a flat top wall 19 andvertical downwardly extending end walls 20. This arm terminates in aflat lip Zlla disposed in alignment with the flange 14.

In practice one fastener is first applied to the panel A by sliding thearm 15 through the opening formed by the outwardly pressed portion 10,the surface of the top wall 15 frictionally engaging the under surfaceof the flat wall 11 of the pressed out portion 10. The inclined lip 17yieldingly resists retrograde movement of the fastener from the raisedportion 10.

Formed in each of the panels 13, C and D is a rectangular opening of asize freely to admit the raised portion 18 of the fastener arm 18. Thusafter the lower arm '15 has been applied to the panel A as abovedescribed, then the f atented Nov. 12, 1%63 "ice protuberance 18 isinserted through the rectangular hole 21 in the panel B. The height ofthe flat top wall 19 of the protuberance 19 is such as to extend abovethe upper surface of the panel B sufficiently to enable the finger ofanother fastener to be inserted therethrough thereby to retain the panelB in a desired spaced relation to the panel A. It will be understoodthat the panel B flatly engages the top flange 14 of the fastener asWell as the lip 20a in order to position the panel properly with respectto the fastener. It will be apparent that the fastener that is appliedto the panel B is disposed at right angles to that of the fastenerinterposed between the panels A and B.

Then it will be understood that the protuberance '19 of the fastenerbetween the panels B and C enters the rectangular hole 21 in the panel Cso that another fastener disposed at right angles to the next subjacentfastener can be inserted through the hole formed between the top wall 19of the arm 13 and the upper surface of the panel C.

With the fasteners arranged alternately at right angles to each otherany number of panels may be fastened together in spaced superposedrelation. Thus the several panels are secured together without the useof screws, rivets or other fasteners. It is merely necessary to forcethe lower arm 15 of the fastener through the upper protrusion 18 of thenext subjacent fastener.

After a desired number of panels have thus been secured together inspaced relation the top panel is secured in place by the use of afastener indicated at 22. The fastener 22 is of flat spring metal andhas a flat body 23 and a central finger 24 which is formed with adepressed inner portion 25 and a downwardly inclined terminal lip 26. Oneach side of the finger 24 is a flat finger 27 spaced slightlytherefrom. This arrangement is such that the center finger 24 can beforced through the opening provided by the fiat top wall 19 of theprotrusion 18 on the upper arm of the fastener and is thus secured inplace. The fingers 27 fiatwise engage the upper surface of the panel Dand cooperate with the center finger 24 for retaining the fastener inthe assembled relation and retaining the top panel D in securedposition.

From the above description it will be manifest that I have provided anexceedingly simple and inexpensive sheet metal fastener for securingtogether a series of spaced panels without the use of screws of similarfastening devices. It is merely necessary to form in the lowermost panelan upper protuberance 10 to afford space for the insertion of an arm 15of the fastener which is generally of U-shape. Then the next panel isformed with a hole 21 through which a protuberance18 on the upper arm ofthe fastener projects far enough so that the lower arm 15 of anotherfastener can be inserted thereto. This operation is repeated with thefasteners being thus disposed at right angles to each other until theouter panel is reached. This panel is secured in position by a separateinexpensive piece 24 which is formed with a finger 24 to insert throughthe projecting protuberance of the adjacent fastener. It will beapparent that a sizable number of flat panels may thus be securedtogether in spaced relationship quickly and easily. Although thisfastening arrangement lends itself to many uses it has application inthe area of stamped coils, such as refrigerant cooling coils, which havebeen stamped from fiat metal sheeting.

Numerous changes in details of construction, arrangement and operationmay be elfected without departing from the spirit of the inventionespecially as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a fastening device for securing together a plurality of panels inspaced relation, the innermost panel having a raised protuberanceproviding a narrow opening theretlirough, a U-shaped metal fastenerhaving a lower arm 3 extending through the narrow opening for snapengage ment therewith, an upper arm on the fastener having an outwardlyextending arched protuberance, the adjacent panel having an openingthrough which said arched protuberance extends sufficiently to affordspace above the outer surface or the respective panel to receive a lowerarm of a similar fastener arranged at right angles to the firstfastener, thereby to enable a series of spaced panels to be connected,each having an opening for the reception of the respective protuberanceon the outer arm of the particular fastener, and means to secure theoutermost panel to the protuberance on the outer arm of the respectivefastener, said securins means comprising a flat sheet metal fastenerhaving a finger for snap engaging through the opening provided by suchprotuberance and the surface of the respective panel.

2. in a fastenin device as claimed in claim 1 in which the means tosecure the outermost panel to the protuberance on the outer armcomprises a flat spring metal fastener having a finger for snapengagement through the opening provided by such protuberance and thesurface 10 of the respective panel.

No references cited.

1. IN A FASTENING DEVICE FOR SECURING TOGETHER A PLURALITY OF PANELS INSPACED RELATION, THE INNERMOST PANEL HAVING A RAISED PROTUBERANCEPROVIDING A NARROW OPENING THERETHROUGH, A U-SHAPED METAL FASTENERHAVING A LOWER ARM EXTENDING THROUGH THE NARROW OPENING FOR SNAPENGAGEMENT THEREWITH, AN UPPER ARM ON THE FASTENER HAVING AN OUTWARDLYEXTENDING ARCHED PROTUBERANCE, THE ADJACENT PANEL HAVING AN OPENINGTHROUGH WHICH SAID ARCHED PROTUBERANCE EXTENDS SUFFICIENTLY TO AFFORDSPACE ABOVE THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE RESPECTIVE PANEL TO RECEIVE A LOWERARM OF A SIMILAR FASTENER ARRANGED AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE FIRSTFASTENER, THEREBY TO ENABLE A SERIES OF SPACED PANELS TO BE CONNECTED,EACH HAVING AN OPENING FOR THE RECEPTION OF THE RESPECTIVE PROTUBERANCEON THE OUTER ARM OF THE PARTICULAR FASTENER, AND MEANS TO SECURE THEOUTERMOST PANEL TO THE PROTUBERANCE ON THE OUTER ARM OF THE RESPECTIVEFASTENER, SAID SECURING MEANS COMPRISING A FLAT SHEET METAL FASTENERHAVING A FINGER FOR SNAP ENGAGING THROUGH THE OPENING PROVIDED BY SUCHPROTUBERANCE AND THE SURFACE OF THE RESPECTIVE PANEL.